New anti-clotting drug 'could prevent one in five deaths' in 12 months after heart attack

A new anti-clotting drug could cut one in five deaths following a heart attack, according to latest findings.

The drug ticagrelor works better than the standard treatment clopidogrel in reducing the risk of dying and recurrent heart attack, said Professor Robert Storey.

He called for more use of the drug, which is much more expensive than existing treatment, saying it would ultimately cut NHS treatment costs.

Boost: The drug ticagrelor was 20 per cent more effective for heart attack patients than currently used clopidogrel in extensive clinical trials

Prof Storey, Professor of Cardiology at the University of Sheffield’s Department of Cardiovascular Science, led UK investigations of ticagrelor and was a member of the international committee that conducted the PLATO study, a trial of over 18,000 patients in over 40 countries around the world.

It showed that ticagrelor was 20 per cent more effective for heart attack patients than clopidogrel.

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A new analysis of the study showed that ticagrelor is just as effective at reducing deaths in patients over the age of 75 as in younger patients and worked in patients with a genetic variant that makes them fail to respond to clopidogrel.

Professor Storey said 'Our new findings really highlight the universal applicability of the treatment.'

Foreign success: Ticagrelor, licensed in the UK in December 2010, is known as Brilinta in the U.S.

The findings were presented at the British Cardiovascular Society annual scientific conference in Manchester.

Ticagrelor was licensed in the UK in December 2010 but has not yet been adopted across most of the UK due to cost concerns.

Clopidogrel has a very low cost as it is available in generic forms - less than £5 a month - whereas ticagrelor is more expensive at around £55 per month.

However, the excess cost of ticagrelor is offset to some extent by its greater effectiveness which reduces the need for heart operations, said Professor Storey.

He said 'Many people are dying avoidably in the year after having a heart attack due to delays introducing this new treatment.

'We’re pleased that the Scottish Medicine Consortium recently approved ticagrelor, on the basis that the initial expense of the drug is offset to a significant extent by the resultant savings, such as reduced need for procedures.'

He said a verdict from the NHS rationing body on whether the drug could be used widely in England was due in October.